Bear Fatally Shot After Escaping Exhibit at Jacksonville Zoo
Incident Date:
12/21/2022
Location:
Jacksonville, FL - USA
Facility Name:
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Bears
Animal:
Black Bear
Animal disposition:
Dead
Summary:
At the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in Florida, a 5-year-old North American black bear named Johnny that escaped an exhibit “behind the scenes” and subsequently “engaged” with a zookeeper was shot dead by the zoo’s lethal weapons team. The keeper was hospitalized with multiple injuries and the zoo would not elaborate on details of the encounter. According to Kelly Rouillard, the zoo Director of Marketing, using a tranquilizer would not have been effective, and the priority was saving the human life.
Several other serious incidents have occurred at this zoo prior to Johnny.
Action take by Born Free USA:
Notes: